Tag: University of the Sunshine Coast

Just as I was walking on the University of the Sunshine Coast campus today I noticed a little feature for Rain Water Management from the roof of the the Sunshine Coast Innovation Centre. The Sunshine Coast is subject to severe weather systems and a lot of rain during the summer (Rain Season).

What I want you to notice is the use of chains to lead the water from the roof to the sewer. The roof of the building is fairly large, and the amount of rain would be extremely significant in case of a rain storm. This will create a massive pressure on the gutter and without the chains the water would be as a waterfall from the roof.

I have for a period of 12 months been doing my Double Degree for Aarhus University and University of the Sunshine Coast.

I have lived in Australia for one year, in an international community of international students from all over the world. This experience has taught me a great deal about accepting people’s differences and I have grown friends from nations spread widely all over the world.

Courses I have taken at University of the Sunshine Coast:

1. Semester: Cross Cultural Management, Introduction to Informatics, International Trade and Finance in a Global Economy, Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility.

2. Semester: Business Law and Ethics, Consumer Behaviour, Principles of International Business, Principles of Property Valuation.

This article evolves out of a university community, where students sit in large auditoriums and listen to professors or other forms of lecturers. The main goal for students to attend these lectures is to be enlightened and inspired on a particular subject of their own interest.

However, even though it is the intention to inspire and enlighten the student, it is sadly not always the case. This is usually due to the lack of rhetorical skills of the professor. This does not mean that the lecturer does not know what he or she is talking about, but often the exact opposite, that the lecturer is extremely well informed about the specific subject. However being well informed and holding several PHD’s in a current subject does not equal excellent rhetorical skills.

A theory of Why

Why are these lecturers hired? This is mainly a theory and not a fact. But if you observe how universities take pride in expressing the titles of the professors they employ, you get the feeling that titles and accomplishment such as PHD’s and advanced education counts for more than actual real life skills and experience. These titles and impressive CV’s are highly valued in the world of Universities and are easier to show off online for the support of academics around the world.

The Consequence

It has consequences only to hire based on paper and sadly many of the consequences are to be considered negative. As already stated an impressive CV is not equal great rhetorical skills. A professor’s lack of rhetorical skills will usually result in boredom among the students, which leads to lack of interest. Lack of interest often leads to demotivation, which result in laziness and drop outs. When the exams approach, the students will perform badly and this will give the school a bad reputation. So what ended up being a strategy from the university management to attract the greatest academics, experiences a negative circular effect.

How to solve the Problem

The problem is rooted in how universities perceive themselves. Universities need to change their perspective on their product, from being the salesman of a 50cent sheet of paper to an institution for inspiration and motivation. Instead of putting emphasis on a professor’s academic accomplishments, a university should focus on the professor’s ability to inspire and motivate the students to learn and acquire knowledge on their own. In the end, a University is a self-learning institution and students are expected to study and discover knowledge outside the lecture theaters. Educating professors’ rhetorical skills are not an offense, but a necessity and should strongly be considered by the university management.

As a concluding statement: This example considers the institution of a university, but the same applies in private businesses. Rarely do papers and academic scores tell very much about the person possessing them and should therefore never be relied on exclusively.